Nanocomposites of Carbon for Supercapacitors

The increasing need for electronic devices that are flexible, wearable, and hybrid has piqued the interest of researchers and industries alike. Supercapacitors have emerged as alternative sources of renewable energy with extraordinary properties such as high capacity, stability, fast charging and discharging rates, stable cycle life, low cost, and ease of production. Great advancements have been made in the past decades to enhance the potential and performance of supercapacitors with novel engineering in materials synthesis, configuration, and characterization techniques. Out of all the available flexible energy storage materials, the nanocarbons or nanocarbon-based materials (such as activated carbon, carbon dots, graphene, fullerene, and nanofibers) stand out with high surface area, exceptional mechanical and electrical properties, and outstanding electrochemical characteristics. In the present book chapter, the brief introduction of different nanocarbons for energy storage devices is explained along with the different carbon-based composites and their design and assembling as flexible supercapacitor materials. A brief elaboration of different synthesis methods and how they can be helpful in developing suitable electrodes for supercapacitors. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives in the development and optimization of nanocarbon composites as futuristic supercapacitors are explained.